


Where It Wasn't Supposed to Be

by dancinghopper



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: F/M, Soulmate AU, Zenmasters Anthology 2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-11-22 03:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11371425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancinghopper/pseuds/dancinghopper
Summary: Jackie thinks it's a blessing, Hyde a curse. Set in an alternate universe where characters receive a list with their soulmate's worst qualities, Jackie and Hyde struggle to navigate their feelings for each other when everything else seems pitted against them.





	1. A Selfish Kind of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: This story was written for the 2017 Zenmasters Anthology on Tumblr, with the prompt: one gets a list of his or her soulmate’s worst qualities.
> 
> So, I’m pretty chuffed with this fic and I hope you lot enjoy it as well. Chapters will be about 2k words long each, and I hope you like them!
> 
> An important note – this story is set in an AU where everybody receives a list containing their soulmate’s worst qualities, with no other clue as to their identity. In this story, while Hyde helped Jackie much the same way after Kelso cheated on her (2x21-3x07), Jackie never developed any romantic feelings for Hyde.

(May 1978)

"Well? What do you think?"

Jackie clucked her tongue impatiently, trying to hide her nerves. The list had appeared on her bedside table that morning. There’d been no glitter, or gentle breeze carrying it through her window – it was just _there_. And now Jackie had a problem.

Donna pursed her lips, eyes raking over the piece of paper. "I think it sounds like you're being paired with a huge asshole."

Jackie whacked her on the arm, snatching the paper back. Donna raised her eyebrows.

"Fitting," Donna muttered under her breath. "Why? What's your opinion? Upset because 'too rich' isn't on there?"

Jackie pulled a face, shuffling in her seat. "No. I just thought... well, I guess I thought it sounded like Steven."

She jutted her chin out, daring Donna to laugh at her. Which she did.

"Hyde? You think _Hyde_ is your soulmate?”

Offended - were her and Hyde really that bad of a match? - Jackie folded her arms, squashing the paper in her fist. "Well it sure isn’t Michael, is it?”

Donna’s cheeks puffed out as she exhaled a breath. “No, I guess it isn’t. Is that why it came, d’you reckon? Maybe the universe is trying to tell you to dump him.”

“Please, I was doing that anyway,” said Jackie, examining her nails. “He’s taken to stalking me ever since ‘the cheese guy incident’.” She made a face and held up quotation fingers. “Even Cosmo’s latest quiz told me we weren’t right for each other.”

Donna patted her hand sympathetically. “Are you gonna tell Kelso why you’re breaking up with him?”

Jackie nodded. “I’ll have to. Maybe this way he can actually accept it.”

Donna gave a tight smile to her friend. “He’s gonna be pissed, isn’t he? Especially if you suddenly start chasing after Hyde.”

She started to laugh, plucking the paper from Jackie’s fist as she read it again. “You and Hyde… ‘Gotta tell you, Jackie, if it ends up being him the universe made one hell of a mix up!”

She continued to laugh, and Jackie bristled. “Shut up, Donna.”

“Stop it!” Cried Jackie again, slapping her leg.

“Oh, my God,” Donna’s laughter had quelled and she was staring at her. “You actually like him, don’t you? You actually like Hyde!”

“ _No._ No, I don't like him. I just think he's one of the coolest, sweetest guys I've ever met."

Donna wrinkled her nose at Jackie's description. "That's not exactly what this list says."

She waved the offending piece of paper between them.

"Oh whatever, Donna. A minute ago you were sure it wasn’t Steven anyway. And besides, those are only his worst qualities."

"Jackie, these are Hyde's _only_ qualities."

Jackie frowned, upset. She had known Hyde only a quarter as long as Donna, but from the sounds of it Donna hadn't used those years efficiently. The idea that Hyde was only those qualities which appeared to the world - and on the list - was absurd. She'd seen firsthand what Hyde would do for his friends, without having been asked for it. She'd watched him cave and spend time with Mrs Forman to keep her happy. He'd shared her anger at Laurie and taught her how to defend herself after she and Michael broke up the first time. And, she realised upon reflection, something must have occurred for him to create that self-defence technique. 

"Hello? Earth to Jackie?"

She snapped out of it, glaring at Donna. "You don't know Hyde as well as you think, Donna."

"And you do?" 

It was an accusation. 

"Maybe. He's an emotional person, Donna."

Donna snorted.

"He is!" Jackie crossed her legs to match her arms, breathing deep. "What does he do when he's angry, Donna? Punches someone. When he's happy? Snappy retort. Bad news? He goes speeding down the highway in his Camaro, tearing up people's front lawns. His responses are _always_ emotional."

Donna didn't look like she believed her, so she sighed. "Whatever, Donna. I'll see you later."

She left the Pinciotti's, snatching the list – _her_ list – from Donna’s hand. She was one to talk about it, anyway. Donna had been a right mess over hers, and Jackie had needed to bring out all the stops over that.

“Stupid Donna,” muttered Jackie as she shifted the Lincoln into gear. She debated briefly about whether she wanted to go home or to Michael’s and get their break up over with. Was it wrong for her to be so quickly accepting of the idea? It probably was, especially since Michael had been getting so much better at controlling his urge to cheat.

“Urgh!” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, disappointed in herself for thinking that.

“Okay, no. Michael does not get a gold star for _not_ cheating on me,” she cried. “Shape up, Jackie, good boyfriends don’t even contemplate that! You’ll be doing Michael a _favour_. Why’d you even get back with him? Hmm? That wasn’t a good idea, was it?”

She kept talking to herself for the entire journey to the Kelso house. Someone had once told her talking to yourself was the first sign of madness, but that was ridiculous. People with such pretty, tinkling voices as hers should be encouraged to use it as often as possible, even – no, _especially_ – if the only person around to hear it was themselves.

She pulled to a stop on the road outside the Kelsos, deciding against parking the Lincoln behind the rusty old truck in their garage. She’d never liked Michael’s house – she supposed with six kids Mr and Mrs Kelso weren’t exactly concerned with keeping up their house’s appearance. The lawn was mucky and patchy, and decorated with a broken swing-set and about a zillion busted toys (she spied three deflated basketballs alone). There was also the dented porch roof, from when seven-year-old Simon had fallen off from climbing the TV antennae and broken his collarbone and left arm.

Carefully avoiding the several… _presents_ … that the many neighbourhood dogs had left littered around the yard, Jackie made her way up to the house and knocked. To her dismay, it was Casey who greeted her.

“Hey. Jackie, right?”

He stepped sideways and let her enter. Her coat brushed lightly against him since the hallway was narrow and cramped.

“Yeah,” said Jackie, not bothering to force a smile, “Is Michael here?”

Casey shrugged. “Upstairs. Hey, uh, can you tell Donna we’ll go out on Monday? Gotta go out of town for the weekend.”

She grimaced. “Can’t you just tell her yourself?”

Casey grinned at her, “But this is so much easier.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. _Boys_. “I’m sure you’ll manage,” she said, and started to head upstairs, narrowly avoiding being pelted by one of the younger kids as they shot down at her.

“Thanks, man.”

Casey’s voice drifted up after her, but she was more concerned with the feminine giggles that were emitting from Michael’s room. _Two_ feminine giggles.

Annoyed, but not nearly as angry as she should have been (god, when did she become such a pushover?), Jackie stalked towards his door, already expecting the scene she’d find. He hadn’t even bothered to lock it. She shoved, hard, letting it bang loudly as it connected with the wall behind it. She heard a jacket fall and several items be knocked over, but she was too focused on _her boyfriend_ and his TV to really care.

Blonde. Busty. Not her.

“ _Michael!_ ”

The boy in question was staring up at her with wide eyes, one hand stuffed down his pants.

“Jackie! Baby, I didn’t know you were here! Uh –”

Jackie huffed, crossing her arms and fixing him with her deadliest glare. Kelso whimpered, as did the girls on the TV.

Jackie stomped over to it, jamming her finger against the off button. “I’m not even going to ask, Michael. I came here to tell you that we’re over, and I’m breaking up with you.”

Kelso jumped up, “But Jackie! I was only – I was only watching that because you haven’t been giving me any since the cheese guy! Yeah, that’s right! Since your _affair_.”

He sounded like a toddler showing off the biggest word they could pronounce.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry. _Obviously_ me kissing a guy, _because you ditched me_ , is the biggest betrayal to take place in this relationship! Never mind sleeping with Eric’s slutty sister which – oh wait, _was you!_ ”

Michael paused, eyes downcast. “Ok. Cheating with Laurie was wrong. I’m sorry, baby.”

Jackie hitched her eyebrow up at him.

He smiled encouragingly, “Now you apologise for kissing that wimp.”

“Urgh!” She threw her hands up in the air, disgust curling around her gut. “You’re impossible, Michael Kelso!”

“Aw, you don’t mean that,” he reached for her, and she shrieked.

“Ew! Don’t touch me! God, clean that up!”

She tossed a box of tissues at him. Kelso laughed.

“Right. Sorry.”

“Michael,” sighed Jackie, hands on her hips. “I didn’t break up with you because I just caught you… _diddling_ yourself to girls other than me. Although I am angry about that. I broke up with you because we’re not right for each other.”

Kelso turned his doe eyes on her, pouting. She’d once thought of his androgynous looks as attractive, likening him to Mick Jagger and David Bowie, but now it just made her stomach curdle.

“But we’ve been dating for forever. We’re _soulmates_.”

Jackie shifted uncomfortably in her heeled boots. _Now or never_. “We’re not, Michael. I got my list. It’s not you.”

“Oh,” muttered Kelso, eyes downcast. She puffed air out of her cheeks, toning down her aggressive stance into something gentler. She shoved her hands in her pockets, tilting forwards on her toes. It wasn't fair how quickly she caved towards him - he was like a petulant child, reaching out for the toy she kept giving and taking away. She pulled a hand over her face, probably smudging her make-up.  _Just be honest_ , whispered Donna in her head,  _you know what Kelso's like._

She  _did_ know what Kelso was like, probably better than anyone. Right and wrong only applied when it came to him and his feelings - but hadn't she been like that once, too? Donna's voice told her to forgive and forget, but did Michael really  _deserve_ to be forgiven?

_Resent and remember, doll._

He'd cheated on her, a lot, and really the only regret he'd shown was that he let himself get caught. He hadn't treasured her until he'd lost her, and hadn't made any real effort once she'd gone back to him, either. Sure, maybe he wasn't still sleeping with Laurie, but if he was jacking off to other girls when she wasn't around, how did she know he wasn't think the same when  _they_ were doing it? It made her sick.

_Grasshopper's all grown up._

She took three deep breaths, collecting her thoughts.  _Zen._

“Michael, you can be really, really sweet sometimes,” – his eyes lifted in hope – “but you need a girl who you’ll love enough so you’ll _just_ be sweet to her. And me… you know how Steven’s always telling you to be a man and not let me boss you around? He’s _right_. You shouldn’t let me, because otherwise I’ll get… it’s just not good, Michael. Long term, I need someone to challenge me and stick up for themselves once in a while.”

“But I thought you liked me being your love-slave.”

Jackie fought hard not to cringe. “Well, look, Donna’s made me realise that maybe having someone under my total control is not all it’s cut out to be. I mean, her and Eric, for all their weirdo problems, really seem to have that partnership thing down. I want _that_ , Michael. I want a partnership.

Michael looked at her confusedly. “When did you get so deep?”

 _Since I started hanging out with_ _Steven_ , she thought _._ “I’ve always been deep, Michael. I just didn’t realise it until now.”

She sighed. Throughout the car ride she’d been ready to unleash a fully dot-pointed and annotated seminar on him to explain every reason why they shouldn’t be together. It had involved yelling, and crying, and finally making him see the hurt he'd put her through. But now, quite frankly, she couldn't be bothered. It wouldn't change anything, either. She wasn't naive enough to think that. Struck by a sudden idea, she rifled around in her purse (no way would she have left it in her car in _this_ neighbourhood) and pulled out the edition of _Cosmo_ she’d been telling Donna about.

“Look, Michael, read this, okay? You can have it.”

“Oh, I already have that issue.”

Jackie looked at him in surprise. He rose to defend himself.

“' _51 Hair Tips You Need to Know’_ , Jackie! This luscious mane doesn’t stay so shiny by itself!”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, read the ‘ _Are you really soulmates?’_ article, alright? But otherwise we’re through forever.”

Kelso pouted, looking upset. “Seriously?”

“Yup. Go sleep with a bunch of college sluts, see if I care.”

She started to leave.

“Wait, you’re telling me I can sleep with people? This isn’t a trap?”

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the twinge of pain at how quickly he'd gotten over her. “Ugh, _no._ We’re _broken up._ Nada. No more. Ix-nay on the elationshipray.”

She stalked out of his room and down the stairwell, no longer caring. Kelso called after her, frantically following her.

“Wait! Wait, Jackie!” His head appeared over the bannister. “ _I don’t speak pig latin!_ ”

 


	2. Drum Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morning all! I have a slightly longer chapter for you all today, so I hope you like it :) We finally get to see Hyde, yay! I promise this is the last chapter dealing with Jackie and Kelso - he's a persistent little bugger.
> 
> Enjoy! xo

(May 1978)

“And then she gave me this,” said Kelso, shoving the magazine article under Hyde’s nose, “and said we were over.”

Hyde raised his eyebrows but made no move to take the magazine. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Jackie had dumped Kelso for good this time – and it was _about_ time – but if she’d taken him back after he cheated on her with Laurie, Hyde didn’t see why it would stick for a few 2D girls.

He looked up at Kelso, who was still glaring down angrily at him. “You’re showing me this why?”

Kelso frowned. “Jackie used some real big words, Hyde, and she either got them from you or Donna, and I can’t hit a girl.”

Hyde looked over to the couch, half hoping someone would make a crack at Kelso’s expense so he wouldn’t have to answer. Eric was muffling laughter behind his fist, Donna was rolling her eyes, and Fez had trailed into the basement after Kelso and was now sucking on a lollipop. Man, he needed better friends.

“I haven’t spoken to her, man,” he said, injecting as much indifference into his tone as he could. It was true, technically. Any “big words” she’d gotten from him would have had to have come from the first time she dumped the guy, and since that didn’t last, he assumed they’d all gone in one ear and out the other. Kelso’s shoulders slumped.

“I already haven’t gotten any since the cheese-guy,” he whined, dropping his offensive stance and slipping into the space on the couch between Donna and Forman, “Now I’m gonna have to wait out this breakup too. Even make up sex isn’t worth that.”

Hyde rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“Hey, Donna?” Asked Kelso, pouting, “Jackie told me I could sleep with whoever I want during this breakup, do you reckon that’s true?”

The redhead frowned. “She did? Huh.”

She paused, glancing at Hyde.

“What?” He asked – he did not like that look one bit. If Jackie thought she was going to drag him into the shit-show that was her relationship ( _again_ ), she had another thing coming.

“It’s just that…” Donna fiddled with an invisible piece of dirt on her knee, flushing. “Jackie kind of got her list.”

Hyde had never claimed to be clairvoyant, or any of that poncy ass junk, but as Donna said that he felt a lead weight drop in his stomach. He could tell where Donna was going before she even opened her mouth again.

“She thinks it’s Hyde.”

There was a beat of dead silence, and then –

“No way,” Eric snorted, letting out a flow of giggles. “Hyde? And Jackie?”

Donna grinned, almost as if she’d been waiting for someone else to verify that she wasn’t the only one who thought it was messed up. “Yeah.”

Fez joined in the laughter, then looked guiltily at Hyde.

“Hyde, you are an enigmatic soul, don’t get me wrong – but you cannot be with Jackie.”

Hyde forced a smirk. “No offense taken, man. The chick’s loco if she thinks that.”

The others laughed.

“That’s what I said!” Cried Donna, “I mean, c’mon! You two are as different as night and day!”

“Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader!”

“Oreo and filling,” added Fez, spreading his arms apologetically.

Hyde chuckled awkwardly, “You’re telling me.”

He shifted in his seat so that he faced the television, signalling to his friends that he was out of the conversation, but they continued it without him.

“She kept telling me all this stuff about how emotional Hyde was,” gossiped Donna, “As if Hyde’s gonna be writing her love poems by the end of the month, or something.”

There was a round of laughter, but Hyde’s gut hurt from something else. Donna ratting on her friend wasn’t cool, but he got her pain. Her parents’ divorce was driving her nuts, and she was trying hard to convince herself she was fine, and Jackie was the crazy one. It wouldn’t work, but Hyde suspected she didn’t care. She was barely holding it together as it was – her recent insensitivity was proof of that – and sooner or later she had to know the dam would burst.

“ _Steven_ , what do you mean we’re still going to be living in the basement at thirty?”

Forman’s voice, high-pitched in his Jackie-impersonation, cut into Hyde’s thoughts. It made him laugh – not at the impersonation, that was shit, but at the idea that he and Jackie could ever live together. She was way too materialistic to suit his lifestyle, and even though he maybe, _sometimes_ thought there was something going on in her brain he’d be interested in finding out, the fact remained that he’d never wanted or needed a soulmate. He sure as hell didn’t want a bitchy cheerleader as one anyway, regardless of how hot she was.

“What’s going on?”

The cheerful voice made Hyde groan internally – of course Jackie would choose this moment to appear, while her friends were laughing themselves stupid at her. Of course, it had quelled the second she walked through the door, replaced with a sudden hush until Kelso broke it with a snort.

“You broke up with me for _Hyde_?”

Pink flooded Jackie’s cheeks, and he felt her eyes immediately dart over to him, just as he looked to the TV. He tried to glare resolutely at it, but almost without meaning to he broke his gaze to glance out of the corner of his sunglasses. He caught her eye, but whether she saw it behind the rose-coloured glass he didn’t know.

“ _Donna_?”

Hyde’s gut shifted – it was doing a lot of that today. She was trying to sound angry, but he could hear (and he suspected Donna could too) the undercut of hurt in her voice. Anger was curling in his toes and fingers, and his fists clenched involuntarily – he’d never asked to care about Jackie (and he _didn’t_ ), but his body was betraying him.

Jackie’s mouth clamped shut when she saw Donna wasn’t going to reply. She was shaking (and god did he hate himself for noticing that one), until she drew herself up to her full height and stilled, taking a deep breath.

“Fine.”

Hyde froze.

Jackie smiled, clasping her hands jovially in front of her. “If we’re telling secrets, how about you tell Eric about _your_ list, Donna?”

 _Oh,_ **_fuck_** _._ Hyde clenched his shoulders, bracing himself for the inevitable.

“You got your list?” Asked Eric, staring confusedly at Donna. “When?”

She flushed. “Um, well it was kind of… just before we broke up.”

“I – what?” Eric frowned, but his lips were tilting up, like he expected Donna to jump in and tell him she was kidding. He blinked, and the corners of his mouth turned down, as did the pitch of his voice. “Is that… is that _why_ we broke up?”

Donna’s eyes cut to Hyde’s and then back again. She ran her palms down the length of her thighs – a nervous gesture. “Can we, um, talk about this later? Maybe _alone?_ ”

Eric opened his mouth once, then twice. “No – no! Donna, is that why we broke up?”

Donna looked over at him again, eyes panicked, and Hyde made a decision that he would later claim as the cause of everything that followed.

“Kelso, wanna see my new Bob Seger record?”

Kelso’s eyes were wide as he looked from the rock to the hard place he was currently stuck between. “Okay!” He squeaked, and jumped up, practically running to Hyde’s room.

Hyde followed, grabbing Jackie by the arms as he went and steering her towards his room. “Jackie?”

She stomped her feet a little, but complied easily. He was definitely not noticing the heat of her body, or the traces of coconut that floated around her hair. He nudged Fez as he passed him.

“Fez, c’mon man.”

“But –”

“C’ _mon_ ,” he growled, and released Jackie to grab him by the cuff of his shirt and tug.

“Ai!”

He dragged him into his room, shutting the door carefully behind him. Almost as soon as it clicked, he heard Forman’s shrill voice start up again. He scrunched up his face and fell back against the door.

“Hey, Hyde,” said Kelso, his ass in the air as he sorted through Hyde’s pile of records. “Where’s this new album, man?”

Hyde rolled his eyes. “Kelso, you moron, I said _Bob Seger_. You ever known me to listen to that junk?”

Kelso’s head popped up. “Well damn, Hyde! What are we gonna do now?”

 

* * *

 

20 minutes later, and they were still sitting in Hyde’s tiny room. Jackie had sat herself down on his cot shortly after they’d entered, but sitting still, combined with the constant tapping of the bouncy ball Michael had found and was now chucking at the wall, was making her jittery. She’d tried taking advantage of the opportunity to learn some more about Steven, but for the most part his possessions didn’t tell her anything she couldn’t have already guessed. Finally, she jumped up, unable to stand the muffled yelling any longer.

“I say we just go out there,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “We can sneak out, right?”

“I agree,” piped up Fez, “I cannot stand to look at these drab walls any longer.”

“Don’t blame me, man,” grumbled Hyde. “It’s Jackie’s fault.”

She bristled, snapping her head round to look at him. His negative energy had been vibrating off him for the last quarter of an hour, and he was obviously looking for a fight. The harsh words should have been a warning to back off, but instead they acted as a catalyst for the anger that had been brewing inside her, and all she wanted to do was give him what he wanted.

“Oh, so this is _all_ my fault, is it?” hissed Jackie, trying to keep her voice low. “Never mind that I told her about that in confidence!”

She’d stepped closer to him, fire coursing through her veins. She was pissed – pissed at Donna for ratting her out, and pissed at Hyde for acting like he didn’t give a damn when he was the one who urged her to ditch Kelso in the first place.  

“Friends don’t talk about people behind their backs, _Hyde_ ,” she snapped again, jabbing one finger into his chest. “Donna bought this upon herself.”

“ _A_ ,” said Hyde, pushing himself off the door so he wasn’t slouching anymore, “You snitched Donna out too. _B_ , you’re a freaking cheerleader, Jackie, we all know the kind of gossip you trade in.”

Jackie spluttered, stepping back. She’d never had Hyde’s anger positioned directly at her before – usually it occurred in her defence, and she didn’t like it.

“And _C_ ,” he said, “You and Donna aren’t actually friends anyway!”

He looked down at her, glowering. He had to be aware of how deep his words had cut, but whether or not he cared she didn’t know. Jackie could feel her cheeks beginning to heat up, and tears pooling in her eyes.

“Enough!” Fez’s whispered cry made Jackie jump backwards, especially when he forced himself between her and Hyde. “Can’t you see you’re making this worse?”

Hyde bristled. “It’s not my problem, man, I’m not her damn soulmate.”

Jackie looked down at her feet.

"That's right," interrupted Kelso suddenly. Jackie jerked her head up, having forgotten momentarily that he was in the room. Almost angrily, he jabbed a thumb at his chest, "Because _me_ and Jackie are supposed to be together!"

"It's 'Jackie and I', you moron," snapped Hyde, "And why the hell should you be with her, you cheated on her like a dozen times!"

Kelso took a step forward, glaring down at his friend. "You know, for someone who doesn't care about her, you sound a lot like you're fighting for her."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Stop it!" Yelled Fez. Somehow, they’d arranged themselves so they each stood at the corner of a triangle – and Jackie was trapped in the middle.

"You are an asshole, and don't deserve her,” he cried pointing at Hyde, “and you are a cheating whore!” He thrust his finger at Kelso. “Jackie should be with me!"

" _What?"_

Jackie, who'd been watching the fight play out with wide eyes and a hand over her heart, suddenly cracked. "Why the hell should I be with you? _Or_ you?" She added, to Kelso. "Neither of you actually care about me!"

"Uh," yelled Kelso, "that's not true, baby, I care about you more than Hyde does!"

"You care about having a girlfriend, Michael," said Jackie, staring crossly at him. "Not about me. We went over this yesterday, anyway! Steven actually... well, I mean, I thought..."

Steven looked uncomfortable. He'd crossed his arms, and was glaring stubbornly at the ceiling. "I’m not your soulmate, Jackie.”

"But, you do like me?"

He had to. He couldn’t have spent all that time with her for nothing.

"No." He tore his eyes from the ceiling, "You're shallow and rich and mean and bossy."

She squinted at him, stepping towards him so she was barely a foot away from him. "That sounds an awful lot like a list, Steven."

Something hardened behind his eyes. "Whatever, man. I'm done with this crap."

He left, yanking the door open. Jackie heard him yell at the two ex-lovers to shut up, and then slam the door behind him. She turned to face the other two, who were now staring at her with open mouths. Best to deal with this now, then.

“Jackie, my flower,” said Fez, reaching forward for her hand, “You deserve better than someone who’ll take off in the middle of a fight.”

She shivered, shaking off Fez’s grip. “Oh, get off of me! Fez, you’re a good friend, but that’s it. I don’t like you, okay? You deserve someone who’ll treat you right and shares the same interests as you. Like Rhonda!”

Fez’s face drooped. “But Jackie, Rhonda broke up with me.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “Fez, she broke up with you because you took Casey frickin’ Kelso’s advice, not because she didn’t like you. Just show her the sweet guy I know you are and I’m sure she’ll give you another chance.”

She patted his hand gently, like she’d seen Kitty do when she was comforting people. Fez smiled at her.

“You are right, Jackie. You are a goddess, but you would never chug beer straight from the keg, or challenge me to a hot dog eating competition!”

Jackie smiled. “Exactly. So, you can keep worshipping me from afar while Rhonda fulfills your… needs.”

She grimaced slightly as she said the words, but Fez beamed. “Jackie, you are a genius! Good day!”

He bounded out of the room, seemingly having forgotten entirely about Jackie’s plight. She sighed to herself – that was exactly why Fez would have made a terrible boyfriend. All the poetry in the world wasn’t worth being unhappy in her relationship – something she was only just beginning to realise.

“Phew. I thought he’d never leave. What do you say to some make-up sex on Hyde’s bed, baby?”

Jackie kicked him in the shin. “For God’s sake, Michael! We’re over, remember? I even told you you could go sleep with some college sluts, didn’t that give you the message? Although, to be fair, you were doing that anyway, weren’t you?!”

“But, uh!” Kelso interrupted her yells, “Jackie, I never wanted you to find that out!”

“Oh my _god_ , really? Michael, if you loved me you wouldn’t have wanted to cheat in the first place!”

“But – but Laurie coerced me!”

“But Laurie wasn’t the only one!”

Silence fell as Kelso looked down guiltily at the floor. She sighed, giving in to the urge to rub her eyes gently even though it would screw up her makeup. Maybe she should stop wearing it all together, given how this week was going. “Michael, we’re done. We’re not getting back together, ever. So leave it.”

Kelso frowned and trotted sadly towards the door. She could still hear Eric and Donna yelling at each other outside. “You never used to be cruel.”

Jackie’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t _being_ cruel! It was Michael’s own damn fault for having the emotional capacity of a four year old, for having his “take what I want when I want it” attitude. She wasn’t in the wrong! Just because she wanted something more mature, something more…

 _Steven_.

Holy hell, she wanted Steven.

Or did she? She sank down onto his cot, bracing her arms against the metal rim. She thought back to a month ago, when she’d broken up with Kelso for the second time. He’d been sweet to her then, taking her to the mall that time and looking after her at the Forman’s barbecue, when she’d tried to move on with that Chip asshole. Not to mention, he’d spent a long time listening to her sob, and on multiple occasions. He might not have held her, or anything romantic like that, but he’d patted her back and told her Kelso was an asshole, and that was better than any of the sympathies her mom had offered her. He was sweet when nobody was looking. Little things mostly, like doing his own laundry and dishes, and sweeping the drive so he could “play basketball”, even though half the time he didn’t afterwards.

And he’d taken her to prom…

She frowned, leaning back against his drawers. Had she completely screwed this up? Or, more accurately, had Donna? She hadn’t intended for Hyde to find out, not this soon. She just wanted to explore an option. But he’d been so nasty to her, so adamant that they weren’t destined to be together. It seemed ridiculous to think that he would lie to her about something so important, even if he did have his stupid “soulmates-are-dumb” policy. He must truly hate her, or at the very most see her as nothing more than a slightly annoying friend. Oh god, was she his Fez?!

But it was early days, she reminded herself. Elizabeth Bennet didn’t fall for Darcy in a day, you know. She had to wait until she saw Darcy in a different light, to counteract her first impressions…

Jackie bolted upright. That was it! Steven just needed to see that she _wasn’t_ , what was it he said? Shallow and rich and mean and bossy? She could do that! Well, the rich thing she couldn’t help, but she could show him that she had a new appreciation for the effort that went into earning money!

A door slammed. Jackie took the sudden silence that followed to mean that Eric and Donna had called off their bitch fest, thankfully. God, the sooner those two got back together the better. After giving it a few minutes, she stood, straightened her skirt and gave Hyde’s room a once over.

She’d show him, all right.


	3. Heart of Glass

 (October 1977)

  _“It’s just – it’s just not **fair** ,” wailed Jackie, drowning out the sound of the TV. “I do everything for him, I do! And all he does in return is ch-ch-cheat on me!”_

_She wiped her nose on one of the tissues Hyde had got for her, sniffling loudly. “He came to my house the other day with a bunch of roses, and my mom said not to take him back until that turns into a diamond bracelet. But I don’t **want** jewellery! I just want him to love me!”_

_She buried her face in her hands, and Hyde patted her back awkwardly._

_“Um, there there?”_

_Jackie let out another cry. “Love is built on – on – a p-p-partnership and I just… How am I supposed to forgive him, much less forget?”_

_Hyde shifted next to her on the couch. “Well, for one thing, you’ve really gotta stop crying, man. You’re starting to sound like P-P-P-Piglet from Winnie the Pooh.”_

_Jackie couldn’t believe Hyde was laughing at her at a time like this, and it just made her sob harder._

_“Oh, man, Jackie, don’t do that. I’m sorry, okay? But you don’t – hell, man, you **shouldn’t** forgive him.”_

_She blinked her teary eyes. “What am I supposed to do, then?”_

_He knocked her knee gently with his, smiling. “Resent and remember, doll.”_

 

* * *

 

(May 1978)

Hyde stormed out, letting the door slam behind him and effectively cut off Forman and Donna’s argument. It was about time they talked (well, yelled) it out - and hey, maybe that was just what Donna needed. Any other time and he might have stayed to support her, but right now he was having trouble concentrating.

Jackie. Soulmates. What the _fuck_ had he gotten himself into?

He dove into the relative safety of the El Camino, stomping his boots twice against the gravel before putting them in the interior. Never let it be said he didn’t care for his car, but he jammed the keys in with more force than necessary, probably scratching the metal surrounding it. He took two deep, steadying breaths. Mrs Forman would never forgive him if he got in an accident – hell, _he’d_ never forgive himself if he damaged the Camino. It was his pride and joy, and he wouldn’t take his anger out on it. He had no plans on dying tonight, man. He just needed to get far, far away, as if running from Jackie physically could help him fight her off mentally.

The water tower was a good choice – it was neutral territory. He dangled his legs over the edge and rested his arms on the rails, and blamed any swooping sensations in his stomach on the height, and not on guilt or because he was thinking of Jackie. He knew that there was no way this was anything more than a brief infatuation with him. Sooner or later, just like before, Jackie would go back to Kelso – or, if she was lucky, her soulmate would swoop in before she got that chance, and she might actually have a decent shot at happiness.

That was what was going to happen, so why the hell was he getting so hung up on it?

He puffed air out of his cheeks and lay back so he could look up at the sky. He’d been coming here since he was a kid – first it was just to prove that he could, but then it had become a habit anytime his home life had gotten a bit too much for him.

And the thing was, he knew why he’d come up there tonight. He wasn’t going to admit it – wasn’t even going to acknowledge that he knew – but he did. Saying it, even to himself, would make it real. And he definitely, totally, absolutely did not have feelings for Jackie Burkhart. So that was that.

Something white flapped at the corner of his vision, and he squinted. Damn kids sticking flyers on the tower, he guessed. Couldn’t be game enough to do graffiti, oh no, it was just sticking lame posters up with Sellotape. He reached up and tugged at it, frowning in the darkening light.

_Superficial_

_Poor concept of material worth_

_Unkind_

_Over-bearing –_

Hyde shot up. The movement cricked his back, but he ignored it. Blood was thumping in his ears, but this was ridiculous. He was probably reading into it because freaking Jackie had put thoughts of soulmates into his head, but he still hesitated before crumpling it in his hands.

Hyde didn’t _want_ a soulmate.

He chucked the paper ball as hard as he could, watching as it sailed into the trees, but the heavy feeling in his chest didn’t sail with it. Uneasily, he climbed down the ladder and headed for his car.

He jostled around in his pockets for his keys, but instead he found a folded-up piece of paper. Very, very slowly, he closed his eyes and then opened them again.

_Superficial_

_Poor concept –_

“Fuck!”

 

* * *

 

(one week later)

All things considered, Jackie was not having a good day. Or a good week. Or a good month. Or even – well. The point was clear. She found out from Mrs Forman later that Eric and Donna’s fight had ended up with the two of them refusing to see each other, and that the rest of the ‘basement gang’ were currently torn between the two houses again. Regardless of how depressed Eric apparently was, Jackie thought Mrs Forman might be faring the worst, having no one to cook for.

Which is how she found herself at the Forman breakfast table, shovelling down three servings of bacon and eggs.

“This bacon is _amazing_ , Mrs Forman,” she said, grinning at the elder woman. Even though Hyde wasn’t around to hear her compliment, she liked that it made Mrs Forman happy. “Makes me regret calling girls pigs all my life.”

Kitty laughed fondly, sitting next to her. “Thank you, Jackie. I just wish Eric would see it that way. Do you know, I took up fried chicken last night and he said he didn’t want to see me? Me! His mother! And fried chicken, it’s his _favourite_. And now who’s going to eat it?”

Jackie gave her a sympathetic look.

“Kitty, he’s a dumbass. And sooner or later he’ll get hungry and you can feed him week-old fried chicken.”

Kitty whimpered. “But it won’t last a week!”

“Mrs Forman,” said Jackie, “Eric’ll come down soon. I mean, he’s still going to school, right? And – oh! – you can pack the fried chicken in a thermos and I’ll eat it for lunch. At least that way it won’t go to waste, right?”

She smiled at the elder woman, her own mood brightening at the thought of a nice hot meal instead of a crappy lunch from the school canteen or the Hub. Before Mrs Forman could reply, however, her spindly son dragged himself through the kitchen, almost on cue. He shot Jackie a withering look. Apparently, _she_ was to blame for his predicament, as he’d so carefully explained to her the day after the fight –  she’d caught ‘Darth Vader’, ‘back-stabber’ and the classic ‘devil’ before she left him to his mutterings: it was all stuff she’d heard before, anyway. As far as Jackie was concerned, it was Donna’s fault for keeping her list from him, and his fault for being such an idiot about it. Not that it helped much. Donna and Kelso weren’t talking to her either, she hadn’t seen Hyde in a week and Fez had taken her Rhonda suggestion to heart, and was now too busy getting reacquainted with his girlfriend to offer her any sympathy. She’d spent most of this last week hanging out with the Formans, even though they were kind of old.

Jackie poked her bacon dejectedly with her fork, feeling sad. Maybe it was time to give some of her cheerleading friends a call. Kat, maybe, or Leslie Cannon. She’d been skipping school during lunch hour so she wouldn’t have to face the cafeteria, but maybe it was time for that to stop.

“He’ll come around, Jackie,” said Mrs Forman, rubbing her shoulder. Jackie realized Eric had left. “It’s not like you caused his fight with Donna! He’s probably just angry because you’re her best friend.”

She smiled weakly.

“Dumbass,” muttered Red.

Jackie was inclined to agree.

* * *

Hyde wasn’t at school today, either, or he’d just decided to ditch shop class because he knew she’d be in there working on her art project. _Whatever_ , she thought to herself. She was going to be patient and let the hubbub die down first before she started making any moves on Steven. Jackie rolled back her sleeves, settling down in front of her clay vase and removing the cling wrap that kept it from drying out. She was required to make a sculpture-inspired piece to show she had experience in multiple mediums, so she’d decided to make a heart shaped vase. Michael had loved it.

Jackie took her wooden board, placed it on the top, and pushed down as hard as she could. “Stupid Steven,” she muttered under her breath. “Stupid” – she pushed down again – “freakin’” – she shoved it sideways – “ _soulmates_.” The vase bent, squashing in on itself until it became a mangled shape, but still with her perfect heart at the opening where it had stuck to the board. She slumped down on her stool, staring at it. Kelso had squashed her spirit, which should have been a warning for her to close off her heart. But she couldn’t – _couldn’t_ – fight the feelings she had for Steven. She’d tried that once before, when she thought she didn’t have a guarantee, and it had driven her back to Michael. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

The bell trilled, and Jackie was navigating her way through a sea of seniors when Donna found her.

“Jackie!”

She rolled her eyes and kept walking. She was still mad at Donna for telling Steven about her list – she may not have done it with the intent to hurt her, but Jackie had had enough of Donna’s insensitivities, and she didn’t want to talk to her. A hand wrapped around her arm, tugging her to a stop.

“Hey! Get off me, lumberjack!”

Donna rolled her eyes at the familiar insult, but withdrew her hand when Jackie kept trying to pull it out of her grip.

“Jackie, would you relax? I’m trying to apologise!”

Jackie raised her eyebrows, affronted. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it,” she accused, crossing her arms around her sketchbook.

Donna took a deep breath and pursed her lips, obviously trying to remain calm. It made Jackie bristle – if anyone should have been getting cross, it was her! She was in the right, here!

“Look,” Donna said, shoving her hands in her pockets. “I’m sorry I told the guys about your list – I should have respected your privacy. But I was trying to get Kelso to leave you alone! You know he would have just been after you again!”

Jackie glared at her. “So you had to tell _all_ of them? Laugh-” She pressed her lips together and blinked slowly – it wouldn’t do for her to chuck a tantrum in the middle of the hallway, where anyone could see. “ _Laugh_ at me? That was all to keep Michael from going after me? I had a _handle_ on that!”

Donna at least had the decency to look chastised.  “I – well, okay. But, c’mon, Jackie. You and Hyde? I didn’t think you were serious.”

Jackie heaved a big sigh. “Even so, Donna. I could have been – I _am_. And… and a real friend would have just owned up to it right away, not played this…” She waved a hand in Donna’s direction, “… blame-shifting game. It’s not Kelso’s fault for wanting me – have you seen me? Who wouldn’t want a piece of this? And it’s not my fault for you believing I wasm’t serious about Steven. It’s _your_ fault, Donna. Just like it’s my fault for telling Eric about _your_ list. So – I’m sorry. It was a stupid, petty thing to do and I apologise.”

She turned on her heel, stalking down the hallway, only barely noticing the satisfaction she got from seeing the crowd part to make way for her. She was Jackie Burkhart, and she demanded attention, dammit, but her head was filled with Donna.

“Wait!” Called Donna, and she ran to catch up with her. “Jackie, I’m sorry.”

They stopped again, a couple of yards from the locker block. Donna chewed on her bottom lip, and Jackie was surprised to see her eyes were glassy.

“You’re right,” said Donna, looking at the floor. “I… haven’t been a very good friend to you lately. I’ve been busy with Casey… and my mom… but, I shouldn’t have let that take precedence over our friendship. I’m sorry.”

Jackie blinked.

“I shouldn’t have told the guys about your list. It was… mean and… selfish.”

She looked up, and Jackie nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Donna.”

She grinned suddenly, grabbing the redhead by the arm and steering her towards her locker. Jackie was a big believer that sadness shouldn’t hang around for any longer than necessary so as not to induce frown-lines. “Hey, you wanna eat lunch with me? I’ve got some of Mrs Forman’s leftovers.”

She smiled enticingly, opening her locker and holding up the Tupperware. Donna smiled back, and sniffed loudly. Jackie wrinkled her nose. _Gross_. She handed Donna a tissue – it was pink, and scented like roses. Jackie didn’t get sick often, but when she did, she did it in style.

Donna waved it away. “Thanks, Jackie. I’ve actually got to do something, but I promise, when I get back I’ll be a way better friend, okay?”

A little upset that Donna was running out on her already, Jackie swallowed and shrugged.

“Sure,” she said. “Okay.”

* * *

 

Humming lightly to herself, Jackie made her way towards the Formans’ house. After she had made Donna apologise – and _mean_ it – her confidence had been renewed ever so slightly. She was _Jackie Burkhart_ , for crying out loud! It might not mean much to Steven, but it meant something to her. With that in mind, she wanted to try and patch up the relationship that had been severed. It looked like that might have to wait, though. Even from a distance, she could tell the Forman kitchen was packed. The yellow glow through the sliding door was obscured by blurry figures that shifted and cast strange shadows along the pavement. She peered in, but someone’s stupid shoulders blocked her view. The most she could make out was a fiery blob of red hair in the middle, which was probably Donna.

Jackie slid open the door, shoving her way between the two figures, who turned out to be Hyde and Fez. Hyde shot her a look, but she didn’t care. Her happiness was fading, and she suddenly had the sense that something was very, very wrong.

“What’s going on?”

She seemed to be saying that a lot, recently. The others – Mr and Mrs Forman, Bob, Eric and Kelso – all started at her intrusion. They seemed to have been in the middle of a staring contest. Donna cleared her throat.

“I’m going to visit my Mom in California,” she said, looking imploringly at Jackie – and Jackie’s stomach did flip-flops. _California?_ As in, _California_ California? Donna jutted her chin out at the rest of them. “And that’s _final_.”

“Donna, you can’t –,” Mrs Forman looked around helplessly, “Bob, you can’t just let her run off like this!”

In defeat, Bob held open his hands. He looked as though he’d been crying. “She’s a grown woman, Kitty.”

“No, she’s not,” interrupted Red, “And an impulsive, irrational decision like this is exactly the reason why.”

“I’ve called my Mom!” Exclaimed Donna, “She knows I’m coming!”

Red stared her down, “And how exactly are you going to _get_ to California?”

Donna hesitated, fiddling with the strap of the duffle bag Jackie had only just noticed she was holding. “There’s a bus.”

“ _A bus?_ Donna, those aren’t safe!”

Jackie felt a stab of pity for Mrs Forman, who it looked like she would soon be joining Bob in the crying department. Eric sunk down onto the table by the phone, being uncharacteristically quiet.

“At least let Bob drive you!” Kitty implored, looking helplessly at the man in question.

“No! No,” Donna lost her grip on the bag, and it plunked to the floor. “This is _my_ life. I can _handle_ this.”

“Now, Donna, I know you’re upset, but sweetie –”

“Mrs Forman!” Donna held her hand up to her head, breathing deep as she collected herself. “Please, okay? I just need my mom. I have to go.”

Jackie slumped back against the sliding door as they continued to argue, feeling numb. Losing her boyfriend, Steven, and now Donna – again? To _California_? They’d only just patched things up! She thought back to all of Donna’s idiotic decisions over the past few months, and finally got it. Dating Casey Kelso, the reason she’d hidden her list so badly from Eric, drinking during the day and taking up smoking – Donna had gone self-destructive.

She’d done a science experiment, last year, where they had to put as many drops of water on a coin as possible. 5 or so, and the water contained itself like it was in a little bubble. But when she hit that final drop, the spell had broken and it had all cascaded off. Donna must have found hers.

“I miss her!”

Donna’s wobbling cry broke Jackie’s concentration. She pushed past Fez, but Hyde grabbed her elbow in warning.

“Cool it,” he muttered, tugging her back, “This is Donna’s choice.”

“But – but – oh, get off me!” She cried, yanking her arm away from him with more force than necessary. She may or may not have elbowed him in the ribs, if the grunt he made was anything to go by. 

Donna turned to her, eyes filled with tears. It made Jackie falter – Donna had always been the strong one, and Jackie reached forward for Donna’s arm. The divorce must have been affecting her more than Jackie had realised. Donna had been too wrapped up in her own issues to be there for Jackie, but she hadn’t exactly been there for Donna, either. She’d been too caught up in Michael and her fluctuating feelings for Steven to give Donna the support she needed, but she could change that.

“I’ll get you a plane ticket,” Jackie said, smiling. This was probably already embarrassing enough for Donna, so she tried to make it less so. “Hey, I could come with you! That California sun will be great for my tan. Oh – you might even get one! That’d be a miracle, wouldn’t it, Pinciotti?”

Donna shut down. Jackie blinked in confusion.

“Thanks Jackie,” said Donna, tersely, “But I can catch a bus.”

“No. This is nuts.” Eric stood up, “Donna, this is enough. You can’t go to California.”

“Will you stop telling me what to do!” Barked Donna, rounding on her ex-boyfriend. “That was always our problem, Eric! You won’t accept that I can make my own decisions, but I can! God dammit Eric, I can!”

She’d gotten right up in Eric’s face, and her outburst was followed by a painfully long silence. Jackie could feel a few tears welling up in her eyes, but it seemed inappropriate to wipe them away. Donna’s hand had slipped from her grip when she’d turned to Eric, but now another one guided her back, giving Donna room. Jackie looked up, finding herself face to face with Hyde. His face was unreadable, but he squeezed her wrist gently before he let go. His mixed signals were enough to give her a headache.

It was Kelso who finally broke the silence. “Hey, Donna? I’ll drive you to California.”

Seven pairs of eyes snapped to him – Eric was staring at the ground.

He fidgeted uncomfortably. “Well it’s just, uh, y’know. Since Jackie dumped me, I’ve been feeling like, totally dejected, so a summer with hot Cali babes and Midge’s popping jugs should be just what I need to get back in the swing of it!”

It sounded weak even to Jackie’s ears, and god knew she’d believed some of his most transparent lies. It was a mark of how stunned everyone was that no one chastised him for the ‘popping jugs’ comment.

Donna nodded. “Thanks, Kelso.”

She turned to her Dad and hugged him quickly. “I’ll call you once I get to California.”

“Donna! –”

Mrs Forman cried after her, but Red pulled her to him, hugging his wife. “Kitty, she’ll be fine.”

He pointed a finger warningly at Kelso. “Kelso, you better have enough gas in that car to get there safely, you hear me?”

Kelso nodded. Red mirrored it, and turned to his wife. “There now, Kitty. Why don’t you make Bob a drink, huh? A nice scotch and soda. There’s a girl.”

He guided her and Bob out, and the rest of them were left in silence – Jackie could hear her ears ringing with Donna’s shouts. She didn’t understand how they’d allowed her to just _walk out_. If it had been her own parents, maybe, but this was Bob and the Formans. They _gave_ a damn.

Eric stood up, shaking. “Right. Right. Okay.”

He stared at the kitchen aimlessly for a few seconds and then spun on his heel and left, so that it was just her, Hyde and Fez.

“What happened?” Jackie asked, directing it at Hyde. 

“Casey dumped her in front of everyone. It was brutal – pushed her over the edge.” He avoided her eye as he said it, but at least he answered. Her arm was starting to tingle where he’d grabbed it. Jackie sunk into a chair, staring blankly at the centrepiece Mrs Forman had “borrowed” from the Price Mart ball. She wanted to talk to Steven – not even about the soulmate incident, but about Donna and his day and why he wasn’t at school during third period. She wanted to know why he’d let Donna walk out, what he thought she was thinking and what they were going to do about Eric. If there even was a “they” anymore. She thought she might have broken it when she went back to Michael.

She opened her mouth to say something, but when she looked up, it snapped shut, just like she’d snapped the door on their future.

Hyde had already gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say a few things, quickly, on sections of this chapter. Donna doesn't take Jackie & Hyde's relationship seriously, which is fair, because she hasn't been privy to all of it (neither have you lot, but you've got some more flashbacks coming!). That said, her apology definitely could have been better and there will be a scene later when she *actually* realises how much she hurt Jackie (and so will Hyde, but that's spoilers!). 
> 
> Also, Red's decision to "let" Donna go to California will be explored next chapter, in case any of you are wondering about that.
> 
> Lastly, Jackie comments in this chapter that Donna had "always been the strong one" and later that she's wrecked her and Hyde's future. Neither of these are my personal opinion. But, it's from Jackie's POV and my little darling doesn't recognise how strong she is (Jackie puts up with a lot, okay), and, she blames herself for Hyde's behaviour because, well, that's kind of human nature. But rest assured, she *will* reach a point where she recognises the respect she deserves. 
> 
> And, that's all! I hope you liked this chapter - it wasn't my favourite one to write, but I hope it turned out okay.


	4. Inbetween Days

(November 1977) 

_“Thanks for punching that guy for me,” said Jackie, beaming up at him._

_Hyde shrugged, “No biggie. He was kind of an ass.”_

_She grinned wider, handing him the beer she’d swiped. “I got this for you, anyway. As a thank you.”_

_“Stealing beer from Red, huh?” He clinked it against her soda, “That’s officially your final lesson. Grasshopper’s all grown up.”_

_“Not gonna teach me how to hotwire a car?” Asked Jackie, smiling in a coy little way that might have been called flirty._

_Without really knowing why, Hyde smiled back. “It’s a date.”_

* * *

 (June 1977)

Red’s corvette was sparkling in the summer sun, almost like it had tiny diamonds encrusted into the paint job. She’d had to pull her sunglasses off her head to shield her eyes from the glare. She wasn’t a fan of the accessory herself – her eyes were in her top 3 features, why would she hide them? – but it was all part of her plan.

The three most important things in making someone fall in love with you were the following: proximity, familiarity and similarity. She’d learnt that in her psychology class, even though her teacher had warned that those three alone weren’t enough to forge a connection with someone. But it was a start, and one Jackie was employing. Proximity was easy, even if going back to the basement made her toes curl. Familiarity she already had on her side, but similarity was trickier, not least because she’d spent the lesser part of three years distancing herself from Hyde in every way. She couldn’t start babbling about her father’s business trips or her mother’s alcoholism in case Steven thought it was just a play – she had to ease him into the idea. And by wearing sunglasses, he’d see a reflection of himself in her that might just lower the barrier enough for her to slip through.

She stalked over the road, her clogs clacking against tarmac, though with each step her confidence wavered. Mr Forman was crouching by the driver’s door, buffing in polish with an old rag, and Jackie quickly decided that a small detour couldn’t hurt.

“Watcha up to Mr Forman?” She asked, skipping over. Red looked up at her.

“What’s it look like?”

Figuring that was rhetorical, Jackie sat down beside him, making sure her skirt covered her butt so she didn’t get burned by the hot concrete. She smoothed out a pleat, studying Mr Forman’s profile. He looked surly, even though Kitty said he found tending the car therapeutic.

“Is Eric driving you crazy?” She asked knowingly, giving him a sympathetic grimace. She could only imagine the kind of moping Eric was doing with Donna gone.

Red huffed out a breath of air. “He barely leaves his room. You know, at least before he came out to go to school. Now Kitty puts a plate of food outside his door, and then half an hour later she collects an empty dish. And I’ve tried yelling at him,” growled Red, growing agitated, “and it did nothing!”

Red shook his head. “I threatened him with work, foots in asses –“ he threw down the rag, “– it’s making Kitty mental!”

Wisely, Jackie decided not to comment that it was obviously affecting him as well. She chewed on her lip.

“Mr Forman? Surely you must have guessed that Eric would get all gross and depressed again if Donna left, right?”

He shrugged.

“Well, how come you let her leave? Mr Pinciotti I could understand, y’know? Donna’s _so_ the strong one in that family, but I thought you would have at least, I don’t know, yelled more.”

Red sighed, picking up the cloth and toying it between his hands.

“Jackie, when you’re a parent…” he frowned at the door, pursing his lips. “Well, you know your kids are gonna do stupid things. And you try to teach them right from wrong, tell them how to keep their head screwed on tight, but sometimes… Donna’s a good kid. A summer in California is not so bad, for an act of rebellion. Hell, when I was 18 I was so desperate to get out of the house I enlisted!”

He suddenly turned to her, pointing a finger warningly. “Now, I’m not saying that was bad. But Laurie moved in with a man, for God’s sake! At least Donna had the good sense to tell us before she ran off.”

He paused and scratched his chin. “I also may or may not have put a road-repair kit in the back of Kelso’s van when he got me to reattach the door.”

Jackie smiled and patted Red’s arm. “Aw!” she cooed, “Y’know Mr Forman, you don’t act like it but I think you really do care about us!”

Red smiled at her, covering his hand with her own briefly. “Well, so long as you don’t go telling anyone.”

He let go and stood up, so Jackie followed suit, taking that as her cue to leave. It seemed Red was much more emotionally in-tune than he let on. She pondered something briefly before deciding it couldn’t hurt.

“Mr Forman? Can I ask you one last thing?”

“Sure. So long as it’s not stupid.”

Jackie didn’t really know if it qualified as not-stupid, but she went ahead with it anyway.

“Well, you’re a man. Do you believe in soulmates?”

Red chuckled as he packed up his gear. “Jackie, there are many things in this world that only dumbasses believe in. The lottery. Putting cheap oil in a car and expecting it to run fine – that being part of the National Guard makes you a war hero.” Here, Red shot a dirty look at the hedge that hid the Pinciotti house from view. “Before I met her, I would have said that soulmates were one of those things too.”

Jackie scrunched up her nose in thought. “But once you met her you just… knew? Just like that?”

Red nodded. “And then I married her. Haven’t regretted it yet.”

“Aw,” said Jackie, smiling at him. Her heart didn’t feel any lighter, but she appreciated what he was telling her. “Thanks Mr Forman.”

She waved and headed into the kitchen, hoping that if she asked nicely, Kitty might make her a sandwich.

* * *

Walking back from the Fotohut in 90 degree weather was no easy feat, and all Hyde had wanted was a nice, cool beer to ease the steady stream of sweat running down his back. He didn’t have the money for gas, not since Leo upped and disappeared to who knows where. He was about three feet away from the sliding door and the refreshing sanctuary of an air conditioned kitchen when he yanked his hand back, cursing God and whatever other deity was up there laughing at him.

Freaking _Jackie_ , of all people, was sitting right between him and his prize, chatting up Mrs Forman.

He changed course and stomped down to the basement, letting the door clang open. A breath of cool air hit him, but it wasn’t free from the mugginess that had been clinging to his skin since early that morning. He scowled and sat down on the couch – the cool fabric of his shirt, damp with his own sweat, taunted him, making him want to recoil the same way he did when he touched wet food in the sink.

Hyde scratched at his neck, nails digging into the grimy film. Fuck summer, man. Give him a blizzard any day of the week over this hellish nightmare. He deliberated for a while on whether it was worth trying to sneak past Jackie in order to shower. On the one hand, he’d been successfully avoiding her for four weeks now, and that seemed like one hell of a streak to break. He was also slightly… _concerned_ (certainly not worried) that seeing her might cause him to do something he regretted. He always seemed to, when she was involved. First it had been taking her to the mall and letting her buy him boots. _Then_ he’d gone and punched Chip for calling her a bitch, like that was some kind of insult to _him_. Which it wasn’t, because Jackie _was_ bitchy.

He shuffled a little in his seat.

It didn’t make sense, but the most plausible explanation he could chalk it up to was that without Kelso, Jackie became a whole lot more likeable. Maybe Kelso’s stupid really _was_ rubbing off on them. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.

Of course, there was also the simple fact that he stunk.

Groaning, he pulled himself from the couch and trudged up the stairs. If he was lucky, he could nip through into the dining room without being seen.

“But, I mean, is stubborn _really_ a deal breaker? Stubborn can be good, right? I mean, _maybe_ he’ll be stubborn about buying me a really expensive pair of earrings, even though I tell him we simply can’t afford it. Although of course we’ll be able to, because it’s me and I’m rich.”

Jackie took a deep breath, her voice floating into his ears from the kitchen. “Not that all money should be spent on pretty things though, y’know? Like obviously we’ll have to eat, and stuff. I mean, a diet can be a good thing of course – oh, you’ll never believe it, but Lucy Phillips is finally going on one, _thank god_ , but anyway, you know, I think quiet, or something – reserved? – is also on there too and that’s good, right? I like to talk a _lot_ , and I don’t think I should have to sacrifice that for anyone, and –”

“Okay!” cried Mrs Forman. She laughed, and Jackie shut her mouth, finally. Hyde paused at the top of the stairs – he really needed to move, else she’d see him, but he was kind of interested in their conversation. Just for pure, anthropological research, of course.

“Okay, honey, well, all I can say is that ‘stubborn’ is not a deal breaker.” Mrs Forman reached out and patted Jackie’s hand. “Red and I both have stubborn written on our lists, even if you might not think it to look at us.”

“Really?” Jackie slurped on her drink – was that lemonade? Hyde scowled. He could have been in there, freshly showered and drinking that instead of her, but no, he was caught standing in the hallway eavesdropping on a conversation he shouldn’t even care about.

“Really,” said Mrs Forman. “Our fights used to last for days and days, sometimes, because neither of us would give in.”

“Oh,” said Jackie, looking dejected.

“But we worked it out,” added Kitty hurriedly, “That’s what a marriage is all about, sweetie. And it wasn’t all bad – that’s how we got this house!”

Jackie perked up.

Mrs Forman giggled. “I remember – the real estate man wanted something _ridiculous_ for it, but Red beat him down. Oh, not literally, of course,” she added at Jackie’s surprised face, “But he wouldn’t leave the property until they settled on a deal Red liked. And that worked out perfect, didn’t it?”

Jackie nodded, staring at Kitty with rapt attention. “You are so right, Mrs Forman.”

Hyde pursed his lips. The last thing he needed was Jackie coming to some crazy conclusion that they were perfect for each other. Red and Kitty might have worked it out, but that wouldn’t work for him and Jackie. And the house thing? If anything, it would be Jackie’s nagging that won them the house. She’d be calling up every day, making ridiculous arguments about how the house was beautiful and therefore needed a beautiful couple to live in it. God, she could be so – _persistent_.

The realisation woke him up better than any cold shower, and he decided he’d heard enough – too much, even. The paper in his pocket burned hot, but he ignored it. If Jackie wanted to figure out a plan to trap her soulmate that was her business. He didn’t care, because it wasn’t him.

It _wasn’t_.

* * *

Jackie banged her fist on Eric’s door, hard. So, maybe she’d come up to talk to him partly so she could avoid Hyde some more, but mostly she still felt bad for Kitty. And the elder woman had just given her some valuable advice – it was the least she could do to return the favour. Jackie was, admittedly, somewhat to blame for the situation.

“Eric!” She yelled, hitting the door again. “Hey, scrawny!”

There was no reply. “I’m not leaving until you answer!”

“Dammit, Eric, I’m trying to say sorry, here!”

There was a loud thud, and then: “ _Go. Away._ ”

“NO!”

Jackie waited ten seconds, tapping her foot impatiently. “Okay, you know what? You’ve forced me to do this. I’ve got GI Joe out here and his head is coming off in 3… 2… 1…”

The door remained resolutely shut, but Jackie wouldn’t give up. She was stubborn and persistent and she _liked_ it that way, dammit.

Suddenly, the door opened. Eric looked terrible – his un-shaved stubble had come in patchily, and he had huge bags under his eyes. The sun deprivation must have been making him paler, and by god did his room _smell_.

She scrunched up her face as she was hit with stale, sweat-infested air. “That’s disgusting,” she said, but braved her way through it.

She yanked open his curtains and forced the window open, hitting things off his desk as she did so. She didn’t care very much – it was all crappy, geeky toys anyway. Could you even call it a desk if it was smothered in stuff?

“Eric, this is terrible. You can’t live like this.”

Eric stared at her.

“I was doing just fine until about five minutes ago,” he said, and shuffled back to his bed, landing face-first on the mattress. “I knew you didn’t have GI Joe.”

Jackie rolled her eyes at his mutterings and crossed her arms, tapping her foot. “Look, Eric, I haven’t got time for you to be all gross and mopey, alright? I only came up to tell you that, yes, Donna got her list and it wasn’t great. But that really wasn’t why you broke up, okay? I mean, it kind of was, but you probably would have broken up anyway. You _were_ being kind of jerky.”

Eric peeled himself off the bed slightly so he could look at her out of one eye.

Jackie took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t really betraying Donna if it was for her own good. “Look, Donna was really upset when she got it, okay? But not because she realised how incompatible you were, or anything, or because she thought it wasn’t you. Her mom and dad were breaking up, and when she found out they weren’t soulmates she worried you guys would have the same end because _on paper_ you seemed so different.  You being all gross and controlling panicked her that you wouldn’t be able to work it out in the long-term.”

“So… Donna and I _are_ soulmates? She made it sound like we weren’t.”

Jackie rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of Eric’s bed, trying to be motherly, even if she flinched a little as she did so. She patted his hair once, wrinkling her nose at the sensation – didn’t the boy own conditioner? It was like touching straw.

“Of course you are, stupid. Even Steven could have told you that.”

Eric glared at her, but she didn’t care. If he wanted sympathy he should have talked to his own mom when he had a chance.

“Right. Thanks Jackie.”

She shrugged. “So, are you good now? Able to eat and – for the love of god – shower?”

“Yeah.” Eric sat up slowly. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

Jackie bit her lip. “You both did. But you’ll still work it out.”

“Maybe.” Eric looked down at his hands. “She just… she needs to come back.”

Jackie glared at him. “No, idiot. Donna needs this time, _alone_ , to get her head screwed back on. She’ll come back before school, I’ll bet you anything.”

Eric eyed her curiously. “How come you’re being so nice about this? Donna was kind of a bitch to you.”  
She shrugged. “Well, yeah. Telling you lot about Ste– my list wasn’t cool, but she’s my best friend, y’know? I’ll just drag her to the mall heaps when she gets back to make up for it. Plus, she did apologise. Forgive and forget!”

Jackie tapped his knee twice, and then, figuring that this counted as her good deed for the next three weeks, got up and left. Hey – all the moping was getting her down, and the weather was way too beautiful for that.

She walked down to the basement, thinking hard about Donna. She’d stewed over it for a month, but she felt alright about it. Maybe distance really did make the heart grow fonder? If that was true, it would be another point in her favour with Hyde, and that was enough to have her skipping down the last few steps to the basement.

She flung herself onto the couch next to Hyde. He looked up, obviously surprised, but didn’t say anything.

“Hey Steven,” she chirped, stealing one of his corn chips.

About thirty minutes later he silently offered her what was left in the bag, and 20 minutes after that he passed her a popsicle from the fridge.

It was a start, and Jackie grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's hoping you enjoyed this chapter! I'm excited to get into the good stuff now - building on Jackie and Hyde's relationship and, maybe, a kiss...? ;) Stay tuned, kiddos!


	5. Friday I'm in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morning - I know I'm very late with this chapter, so sorry about that. They'll probably be two weeks apart from now on? I'm not sure. But I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same! :D

(February 1978) 

_“I’m getting back together with Michael,” said Jackie, almost as soon as she entered the room. Quick and easy, just like a Band-Aid._

_Hyde paused from where he was lighting up a joint, staring up at her with wide eyes. “Okay?”_

_"I just thought you might want to know,” she said, fluffing her skirt a bit. “Since we’ve been hanging out, and all.”_

_Hyde just gaped at her. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable._

_“Okay, well, that’s all I had to say, really.” She ran her tongue over her lip. “Unless you think it’s a stupid idea? In which case you should tell me. I mean, I know he cheated on me, but I really think he’s changed, y’know? And if he hasn’t, well, I’ll hit him in the nuts. But I like having a boyfriend, and Michael’s definitely the most attractive option, don’t you think? I mean, I **could**_ _date one of the football players, but ugh – can you imagine putting up with all that sweat? No thanks. So really, I mean – who else is there?”_

_She paused her babbling to stare at him for a long, electric charged second. Who **was** she going to date, if not Michael? She couldn’t date Steven. Steven had no guarantee. And since she wasn’t going to date Steven, she had no business hanging around waiting for his answer._

_“Exactly,” she said, and left right as he opened his mouth._

* * *

 

 (June 1978)

“What are you doing today then, Steven?”

Mrs Forman put a fresh plate of eggs down in front of him, and he offered her a smile in silent thanks as he shrugged.

“I don’t know – probably hang out with Jackie,” he said, shovelling a forkful into his mouth. He didn’t miss the gleeful look that crossed Kitty’s face, and he took a gulp of orange juice to cool the blush creeping up the back of his neck.

“ _Don’t_ ,” he warned, and looked back down at his food.

Mrs Forman bit her lip to contain her smile, but it wasn’t successful. “I didn’t say anything,” she said, sliding into her seat. “I just think it’s cute that you have a girlfriend.”

“I don’t –” He rolled his eyes. “Jackie’s not my girlfriend. We just watch TV.”

It was true, mostly. When Jackie had first shown up in the basement, he’d made a point not to talk to her. It had been confusing – she’d waltzed in as if two weeks earlier they hadn’t all been complete jackasses to her, and acted like nothing was wrong. Guilt had gnawed away at him, so he’d offered her his chips. It was a silent olive-branch, and it seemed to have worked: so far, she’d come back every day. She’d sit next to him on the couch, chew her bubble-gum and make snotty comments about whatever he was watching. He wasn’t exactly sure when, but somewhere along the line he’d started to enjoy them – _look forward_ to them.

It was kind of nice.

But that didn’t make Jackie his girlfriend, or – god forbid – his soulmate. He couldn’t have one without the other with her, so he’d stick with friend. That was for the best.

Hyde scratched his neck uncomfortably. He’d been a pretty shitty friend to her, and it still made his skin crawl a month later. He’d been so concentrated on helping Donna through her rough patch, but in doing so he’d ditched Jackie.

“You know, she’s something special, that one,” said Red, pointing his fork at him. “You should hold onto that.”

Hyde huffed. “There’s nothing _to_ hold onto.”

Red shrugged. “I’m just saying. She’ll wizen up eventually, son.”

Hyde pulled a face and went back to his eggs, fading out of the conversation. He hoped Jackie _did_ wizen up… maybe she already had. He’d been looking for any signs that she was cut up about Kelso, but for the most part the only suggestion that she might have been was her aversion to hanging out with Fez and Rhonda. But that was understandable in of itself – watching them french wasn’t top of his list, either.

He helped Mrs Forman with the clean-up, drying the dishes as she finished washing them up in the sink.

“Forman still not showing up for breakfast, huh?” asked Hyde when he dried off the final plate. Forman’s behaviour was stupid, but he knew his friend well enough to know that it wouldn’t change until he was ready. Pulling him out of bed to go to Fun Land wouldn’t work this time – and part of him knew that once Forman was up and active, his alone time with Jackie would significantly decrease. For the sake of his sanity, he decided not to focus on that aspect. Hyde scrubbed his plate a little harder than necessary: “Thought Red would’ve put his foot up his ass by now.”

Kitty sighed. “I don’t know how to help him. Donna even called yesterday and he wouldn’t talk to her! I’m starting to agree with Red’s idea of sending him off to the army!”

She laughed nervously, but Hyde froze. “Donna called?”

“Yep. Wanted to see how he was doing.” She pointed her finger at him. “My guess is she realised what she was missing!”

“A skinny, depressed schmuck with the muscle quantity of asparagus?”

It was a burn he’d gotten off Jackie, and it made Mrs Forman’s lips twitch, even as she chided him for it.

“Steven. That’s not nice.”

“Sorry,” he grinned. “So, um, did Donna leave a number?”

Mrs Forman nodded. “It’s over on the legal pad. But, sweetie? Call her after nine when the rates are lower, alright?”

He nodded. “Sure thing, Mrs F.”

* * *

(later)

Steven was a lot like smoke, in Jackie’s mind. Foggy, mysterious. Beautiful, but not obviously. She was humming a little tune to herself, swaying as she did so. Steven was solid and grounded – not like smoke at all. Certainly, he wasn’t _wispy_. Wispy. She giggled. Wispy-tipsy.

_“Jackie?”_

There was smoke in front of her, which was weird, man. How had it appeared right as she was thinking about it? Crazy. She suddenly scrunched up her face. She shouldn’t say ‘man’, she told herself. Steven said ‘man’. ‘Man’ was a Steven Thing. Capital T. And if ‘man’ was a Steven Thing, smoke was a Steven Thing. And if smoke was a Steven Thing, then Steven had the smoke. Or Steven was the smoke?

_“Hey, Jackie.”_

She giggled some more. Steven wasn’t smoke, that would be _silly_.

_“Dammit, Jackie,”_ said the voice again _, “take the joint.”_

_She_ was Jackie, she remembered. She blinked, widening her eyes because they hadn’t been wide enough before. Steven was holding out a rolled piece of paper, and it took her a moment to realise it was _weed_.

“Steven!” She gasped, “That’s illegal.”

He broke down in laughter. “No shit, baby. Good thing I’m about as far from Johnny-Law as you can get.” 

Jackie giggled, and then remembered that _she_ was weed, too. “That’s true. Hey, you ever think about colours?”

“No.”

She sighed. “No, you wouldn’t. This is fun, Steven. I’m really glad that list thing didn’t come between us.”

Hyde leaned back against the couch, the same place he’d been sitting for three weeks. He stretched out his legs and plunked them on the coffee table. _Ba-boom_. The sound reverberated in Jackie’s head, making her stomach feel all queasy.

_Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom_.

The sound was in her heart! Jackie sat up straight, swaying. She blinked a few times until the room stopped moving.

“- quick to lap it all up?”

She frowned. “Huh?”

Steven offered her the joint again but she waved it away. She was high enough as it was.

“The list, man. Why’d you get so hung up on it?”

She watched as he stubbed the joint out in his ashtray, chewing on her lip. “Well it’s… it’s _the_ list, y’know?”

Hyde shook his head.

Colours were starting to fill the edge of her eyes, like a kaleidoscope. She waved her hand in front of her face until they disappeared. Steven was looking at her strangely – all soft and dopey.

“What?”

“Nothin’,” he replied, but the corner of his mouth was ticked up. She smiled back.

“Anyway, what was I saying? Oh!” Jackie clapped her hands, “The list is _indisputable_ , Steven!”

Steven shrugged. “It’s kind of dumb.”

She gasped. “Steven! How can you _say_ that?”

He pulled a face. “It is, man. I mean what’s it supposed to do, discourage you from seeking them out? Why’d they even bother with it in the first place? And who the hell is _they_?”

He pointed his finger at her, leaning in. “I’m telling you, it’s all the government. They wanna make us weak so we don’t pay attention to what’s going on upstairs! But they won’t get me, man. I’m immune to that crap.”

“Upstairs?” Asked Jackie, cocking her head to listen. Was that Mr Forman, clunking around the living room?

Hyde shook his head, and the motion brought Jackie back down to Earth. “No, man. Not _upstairs_ -upstairs. Upstairs in the government. The lawyers.” He nodded very seriously, “Now that’s who you’ve gotta watch out for.”

Jackie sunk back against the couch. “My dad’s an attorney,” she said. “And he and my mom were list-matches, and they’re _perrrrr_ fect for each other. So the list _is_ good! And Mr and Mrs Forman! C’mon, Steven, you’ve got give me that.”

He shrugged, copying her actions and leaning back against the couch. The movement exposed a thin strip of skin around his hips, and Jackie suddenly felt uncomfortably hot.

“Yeah, the Formans are good for each other. But they probably would have found each other anyway, without some dumb soulmate thing.”

Jackie wanted to bang her head against a wall. “You just don’t _get_ it,” she cried, flapping her hands, “The list is about loving people _despite_ those traits. Don’t you think that’s beautiful?”

Hyde shrugged again. “Not really.”

“But – but!” Jackie blinked heavily, trying to organise her mind. “Okay, like, you’ve got ‘deeply rooted emotional trauma’ right?” Hyde scrunched up his face at her. “Don’t you hope there’s someone to love you despite that? _Because_ of that? A soulmate is a _guarantee_. Sometimes you _need_ a guarantee.”

Hyde was silent. “Deep rooted emotional trauma?”

She shrugged lightly, and thought of the list under her pillow. “Oh, I don’t know, it’s something I saw on _Donahue_.”

“You’re a weird one, man,” said Hyde, getting up to change the TV channel. He knocked her knee as he sat back down, definitely closer to her than he had been before. “It’s not half-bad.”

* * *

(three days later)

“Stop it,” said Jackie, slapping Hyde’s hand away. “We agreed that I got to do the radio!”

“No, _you_ agreed,” said Hyde as he pushed the channel switcher again, and again until the heavy drums of the _Eagles_ filled the El Camino.

Jackie pouted. She’d finally managed to drag him out of the basement, with Fez and Rhonda’s help, but he was still being annoying. Not that she blamed him – at least she got to go home to her air-conditioned house and pool: all Steven had once she left was Eric. Hanging out with a fleshy, human-sized slug was bound to put a damper on the mood.

“Steveeeeeenn,” she tried again. “Fez wants to listen to _Shadow Dancing_ , don’t you Fez?”

In the backseat, Fez nodded. “I do.”

“See?” Jackie beamed brightly, turning to Hyde in triumph and already switching back the radio. “Two against one, I win.”

“But Rhonda likes the _Eagles_ ,” piped up Fez again, smiling mushily at his girlfriend. “Don’t you, my lovely?”

“I do,” added Rhonda. “So it’s two against two.”

Jackie opened her mouth to protest the obvious unfairness at foot, but Fez beat her to it. “But anything Rhonda likes, I like, so it is actually three against one.”

“Uh!” Exclaimed Jackie, in a rather good (if unintentional) impression of Kelso. She whipped around in her seat to glare at Fez, but in doing so saw Hyde smirk out of the corner of her eye, which just made her crosser. “Aren’t any of you on my side?”

There was silence from the backseat. In defeat, she righted herself and pouted out the window. Stupid Steven couldn’t even play by the rules of basic decency.

“Fine,” she muttered. “Play your stupid _Eagles_ song. See if I care.”

Hyde snorted, and privately Jackie counted that as a victory.

It wasn’t until she was at the counter ordering her meal that she realised Steven had forgotten to switch it back. She smiled a little to herself, and absent-mindedly let her fingers ghost to her lips. She’d kissed him exactly once before, in her car, but that two second peck was hardly enough to satisfy her curiosity. Hanging out with him for the last almost-month had been virtually torturous. There was only so much _The Price is Right_ she could take before she started looking for alternative methods of entertainment. She picked up her milkshake and two servings of fries, as well as tomato sauce for Steven, and headed over to the table they’d secured.

“Here ya are,” she said, passing a bowl of fries over to Hyde. “Frank said your burger’d be ready in a minute.”

She slurped on her drink cheerfully, observing him. “I knew I could get you to take me out for a milkshake,” she said.

Hyde shrugged. “Yeah, well. Basement was gettin’ kinda stuffy.”

She rolled her eyes fondly, deciding to let him have that one as Fez and Rhonda sat down, slurping from the same drink. It was kind of sweet how enamoured they were with each other, but it made her miss being in a couple. Donna would have told her to enjoy her time by herself, but Jackie meant what she’d told her at Christmas: she already loved herself, she just wanted to french someone.

She snuck a sly look over at Hyde while Fez gulped down his soda. Rhonda reached out to grab it from him – “Fez!” She chided, peering at the cup’s decreased contents.

Fez shrugged guiltily. “Sorry. I’ll get you another one.”

He made to get up, but Rhonda tugged him back down. “Oh, it’s okay sugarpuff. We can get more at the movies.”

Jackie raised her eyebrow: “You’re going to the cinema?”

A dark (air-conditioned!) room, scary movie and precariously placed popcorn? The universe _was_ answering her prayers!

Rhonda nodded and smiled. “You guys can come if you want! We’re seeing _The Muppet Movie_.”

Jackie frowned - there went that plan. Hyde laughed.

“You missing Kelso, man?” He asked Fez, who nodded glumly.

“Yes.” He sighed, picking at his food. “I cannot wait for him and Donna to return.”

Jackie watched Hyde closely: his shoulders tensed up, and he avoided her eye as he answered. “Yup, Donna’ll be a welcome relief. Forman might actually leave his room.” 

“Please, Steven.” Jackie dipped her fry in his sauce, “That would require him to get out of bed.”

Hyde snorted.

“What are you and I going to do, then?” She asked. “No offense, but I don’t need to see a bunch of puppets with hands up their butts try and navigate their way across America.”

Hyde shrugged. “Back to the Formans?”

She groaned and slumped against the wall. “Really? That’s _all_ we ever do.”

“Go to the pool then, I don’t care.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t talk rubbish, yes you do. Without me you’d have spent the whole summer at home getting high.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing with you around, anyway.”

She paused, mouth open. “Well... that’s just… _whatever_.”

She looked around for inspiration, eyes landing on the pinball machine. She lit up, “Ooooh, let’s go to the arcade!”

Hyde wrinkled his nose, but she pushed on.

“No, Steven, it’ll be fun! We’ll see who can win the most.”

He hesitated, fry halfway to his mouth. “So, like a bet?”

Gleefully, Jackie nodded. “Yup. You in?”

Underneath the table, his jeans brushed against her leg.

“Fine. But I’m gonna win.”

A jolt of electricity rocketed down her spine, but Fez and Rhonda didn’t seem to have noticed. She stuck her hand across the table, grinning, and he shook it.

“You’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Jackie's pot-smoking scene: I've smoked pot exactly once in my life, and I don't remember a lot of it. The style of this scene is taken both from my experience and the general feel of pot-scenes from other fanfic. It was fun to write, but if there's something you feel doesn't sit right, please let me know!


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